Portrait of a changing community

Saturday

Aug 23, 2008 at 2:00 AM

By Joshua B. Gray I&M Staff Writer

Every community has its own unique identity. Nantucket’s – along with its ever-changing face and the real people who make up the fabric of the island – is celebrated in Mary Haft’s first book, “Nantucket: Portrait of an American Town.”

On its pages are the stories and the history of the people who live an island life. From the families who have been here for generations and those who just arrived, to the fishermen, shopkeepers, artists and public servants who contribute to the island’s economy, the book’s goal, according to the author, was to take an in-depth and honest look at the people who live year-round within the Atlantic-lined borders of this small town.

A long-time television producer in Washington, D.C. and a summer resident of the island for many years, Haft said she has been for some time impressed with the people of Nantucket.

“I think when my last child goes to college I am going to become a wash-ashore and I am going to land here,” she said.

Married to Robert Haft, a Washington businessman, and the mother of three – Michael, Nicholas and Laura – she said after the birth of her children her priorities changed to those of being a mother and she for the most part put her career on the shelf.

Continuing in television production at intervals through the years, freelancing for such programs as ABC’s “20/20,” Haft began thinking about putting together what eventually became a 400-page book in 2001 after seeing an issue of The Inquirer and Mirror.

“I remember the idea came when I was at the drug store one morning and I read the paper’s headline that said ‘Bartlett Farm to be sold,’ and that stab of shock that accompanied me reading that, made me think about and realize how much the island has changed,” said Haft.

“The documentarian in me told me to do something and I think this book has grown with me and reached the place where it has been a labor of love. It is a celebration of the community at the heart of this small island . . . and the lament of a changing one.”

The length of time it took to produce the book is due to some degree to the fact that as a mother, many times life interrupts, but for the most part it was due to what the author said were the “countless” interviews she conducted and photographs she took throughout the process. Her first effort at a book, Haft said she was able to utilize much of the expertise she accumulated over her career to produce the volume which is filled with images of Nantucketers going about their daily lives and the stories behind the people in the pictures.

Calling the book a “documentary in print,” she said she tried to be very respectful of those whose lives she observed. Haft recalled one of her more harrowing experiences in the process of writing the book as the day she spent 14 hours aboard Nantucket’s last commercial deep-sea fishing dragger, the Ruthie B.

“I had to really brace myself for that,” she said. “It was a really great day, though.” Haft dedicated a dozen pages to the compelling story of Bill Blount and his wife Ruth.

“I felt that Mary was very gracious in dealing with our family and feel the book is a real tribute to Nantucket and the people who live here,” said Ruth Blount. “I think for us as we face an uncertain future in the fishing industry this is a tribute to Bill’s life at sea with the Ruthie B. and it came at a lovely time for our family in order for us to be able to show our children and grandchildren.”

Further into the book, several pages are dedicated to the craft of scrimshaw and the artisans who have dedicated their careers to the art that originally served as a way for whalers hundreds of years ago to pass their free time. Nancy Chase, who Haft called the ‘grande dame of the industry,’ was interviewed at length.

“I think it is fantastic if you want my honest opinion,” said Chase. “She has taken a wonderful look at the local people and what they do and the photography was just tops.”

One of the most memorable experiences for Haft was the education she received when researching the history and heritage of the island’s Union Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons. The oldest continuously operating organization on the island and the second-oldest Masonic lodge in the nation, preceding the Revolutionary War and actual formation of the United States, this 1771 secret society impressed her a great deal. What she learned can be found within the pages of the book.

Many other people touched her throughout the process, she said, including members of the island’s Wharf Rat Club, long-time islander Albert Ottison and the storied history of football coach Vito Capizzo and the Nantucket Whalers, among many others who make up the web of interconnected island stories, to almost “a one degree of separation,” as she put it.

The most important aspect for her was the approval of the community she wrote about, she said. “The response I have received has been incredibly gratifying,” said Haft. “That was what I was waiting for with my heart in my throat.”

Her efforts have coincided with and caught the attention of another current movement to preserve the fiber of the island, the nonprofit group ReMain Nantucket, founded by philanthropist Wendy Schmidt. A summer resident and wife of Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, her efforts have included the purchase of Mitchell’s Book Corner on Main Street, an investment in the Dreamland Theatre restoration and expansion, and the purchase of a Washington Street property for use as a transportation hub, all in the name of preserving Nantucket’s heritage.

“It feels like a gift that this book should finally find its place in a moment in time when others are also searching to preserve this community,” said Haft.

“I think it is a wonderful book. It really captures the soul of the island, not just in the pictures but in the copy as well. It is not just a pretty picture book,” said Lucretia Voigt of Mitchell’s. “The response has been incredible. The price is less than it really should be, but Mary wanted to get it out to as many people as possible. So many people have come in because they are in it, but people also like the story that it tells about Nantucket.”

As Haft spoke, she said it was a special time for her as her oldest son Michael had just graduated from the U.S. Marine Corps Officer Candidate School that morning. She said she felt very privileged to have been allowed to document the lives of these people whose values reminded her of the foundation of America. “I hope the book is a source of respect for those who live here as well as the history of this wonderful place,” she concluded.

“Nantucket: Portrait of an American Town” is available at island bookstores for $40. The book will be sold nationwide in Barnes & Noble beginning in May 2009.

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